Dial and cylinder interlocking mechanism



Mud! 1931- H. SWINGLEHURST 97,163

nun AND cummm INTERLOCKING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 7. 1929 a wli' AINVENTOR HARRY SW INC-LEHURST 5 7:23 aZ-larneys' S WM cm UNIT D STATESPatented Mar. 17, 1931' VHABRY SWINGLEI-IURST, or Orr-anan new JERSEY,assienoa rosoor'r Ann w n- LIAMS, met, or new YORK; n. Y, A CORPORATIONor MASSACHUSETTS DIAL AND CYLINDER inrxntooxrnc- EOHnNisM] Application'filed October 7, 1929. "serial No. 398,018.

Y This invention has to do with circular knitting-machines of'thesorthaving a needle a direction but at the same time permit the fabricto pass downbetween them under the influence of the fabric take-up.I'provide a number of radially movable dogs on the under 10 side of thedial and a number of fixed dogs on the cylinder (Lo-operating therewith.Butts onv the inner ends of the movable dogs rest in a camtrackprovi'ded with successive retracting portions which are so relatedthat some of the co-operating pairs of dogs are separated at one timeand others at another time. By reason of this, the relation of in-vterlock between the dial and the cylinder is maintained at all times butthe fabric is enabled to be drawn down without dragging on the dogs. I

The underlying thought here is to have a radially movable dog and afixed dog and to provide one dog with a beveled face, that is, a facepresented in such direction that it may engage the other dog to resistrelative rotation yet so inclined from the radial that upon relativeradial movement between the dogs a quick separation is effected. Theengaging face of the other dog may be correspondingly beveled butpreferably is curved.

In the drawings herewith, Figure 1 shows a part of the knitting head ofa circular machine with a part of the dial broken away to show theinterlocking, dogs and the cam track. The knitting instrui'nentalitiesand their as sociated parts are omitted. v

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the movable dog and the parts whichsupport it for a radial movement and hold it on the dial. These partsare shown assembled and inverted from the position they occupy when onthe dial.

7 Figure 3 is a view in section on the line 3-3 in Figure 2 but it showsthe parts in their normal position, not inverted as in Figure 2.

The needle dial and the needle cylinder may be mounted and driven in anysuitable r manner or they may be fixed and the cams for operating theneedles may be rotated.

"Here howeverthere is [showna machine in which the needle cylinder 10 isfixed as is the dial 11 whiclris freely-mounted on the central spindlebut is held'fr'om rotation there with by'meansof the interlocking dogs-The cylinder cam ring 10 is rotated. There: are four fixed dogsl2e'qually' spaced aboutand secured to the inner face of thefcylinder atits upper rim. Eachfh'as afacel3 that is vertical butis inclined awayfrom a radial plane, its inclination being such however that it islmo-renearly radial than tai'rgential. 7 Each co-operating movable dogconsists of a shank 14 with'a 'head 15 at its outer end and a butt 16 atits inner end. The he'ad'has a downward extension l'Zto correspond tothe hei-ghtof the inclined verti'c-al'fac'e 13 of the oo-O eratin fixeddog-and has also a nose l8 offset toward the fixed dog. The surface 19of this nose is 'curved a'n'd thusfit has substan- PATENT,

tiallya line contact with the flat face 13" of the Y fixed dog, Theresult of thisis that upon 7 retraction of the movable dogs on a radial1 or substantially radial line,' there is no appreciable slidingof theone dog on the other' but a quickseparationoccurscreating a spacebetween the co-operating parts of the two dogs.

When the movable dog is unretracted, there is an engagement betweenthese 'parts such that forces are transmitted between the cylin d'er dogand the dialdog along a practically v tangential line so that the majorcomponent of the force exerted is effective in resisting a turning ofthe dial. 7 The shank of the movable dog is rectangular in cross sectionand isre'ceived in a similarly shaped slot 20 in ablock 21 that isadjustably mounted on a plate 22 secured to the under sideof'the dial11. A sidewise adjustment of the block is made possible by the fact thatthe screws 23 which hold the block and. theplate to the dial extendthrough enlarged holes 24 in the side flanges 25 of the block. A pairofpins 26 are mounted on either side of the plate 22 and extend throughslots 27 in the c side flanges ofethev block; These pins carry adjustingscrews 28 that bear against the. side faces of the main partof theblock, thus de- :termining between them the location of the block on theplate within the limits permitted by the enlarged holes 24 and the slots27. The

assembly, the cam ring being put on from becap plate 29 holds the shankof the dog in its slot 20 in the block 21.

The butt at the inner end of the shank of each dog is a roller disc andrests in a shallow groove 30 formed in a ring that is sup ported on abracket 31. The bracket rotates with the central spindle in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. Thehub 32 to which thedial plate '11 is secured rests 011 a roller bearing (not shown) on acollar which turns with the spindle. At six equally spaced points aboutthe groove 30'are re tracting cams 33 and opposite each one is aconcavity 34 in the inner face of the groove to permit the roller 16 tobe withdrawn by the cam. ,The width of the groove 30 is greater thanthat of the roller butt 16 to facilitate the neath after the dial plateis in place and then adjusted until the rollers 16 rest properly in thegroove. The retracting cams are so related to one another that only two,andthese diametrically opposite, dogs are retracted at a time. Theaction of the retracting cam is to move the shankof the dial dogradially inward, thus separating the nose 18 at its outer end from theinclined or'beveled face 13 of the associated fixed dog to permit thefabric to slide between the two dogs. The sidewise adjustment of theblock makes it possible to fix with nicety the lineof contact betweenthe nose of the movable'dog and the beveled face of the fixed dog. r

The underlying thought of my invention may be used with-variousarrangements of the parts involved and I therefore wish to includewithin the scone of the protec'tionafforded by a patent all variationsfrom the form shown here which may come within th fairrange of thefollowing claims.

I claim V 1. Mechanism for interlocking a needle dial and a needlecylinder in a circular knitting machine, comprising a radially movabledog on one of said elements and a fixed dog on the other, one of saiddogs having a face inclined away from the radial, in combination withmeans for, reciprocating the radially moving dog at each revolution.

! 2. Mechanism for interlocking a needle dial and a needle cylinder in acircular knitting. machine comprising. a radially movable dog on thedial and a fixed dog on the cylinder, said fixed dog having a faceinclined away from the radial and said movable dog having a head with acurved surface adapted to engage said face, in combination with meansfor reciprocating the radially moving dog at each revolution.

3. In a circular knitting machine, a needle. dial and a needle cylinderwith interlocking xmechanism comprising'a radially movable dog and afixed dog in such engagement as to engaging face of one dog beingbeveled, in combination with means for reciprocating the radially movingdog at each revolution.

4. In a circular knitting machine, a needle dial and a needle cylinderwith interlocking mechanism comprising'a radially movable dog and afixed dog in such engagement as to resist relative rotation in onedirection, the engaging face of one dog being beveled and thatof theother being curved, in combination with means for reciprocating theradially moving dog at each revolution.

5. In a circular knitting machine, a needle dial and a needle cylinder,interlocking mechanism therefor comprising a radially movable dog on thedial, a support for the movable dog and a fixed dog on the cylinder,

.andmeans for adjusting the support; for the extending butt at its innerend, in combination with a circular groove provided with cams foractuating the dogs on thedial, said groove being wider thanrsaid butts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY SWINGLEHURST.

resist relative rotation in one direction, the

ion

